The monsoon session of the 13th Rajasthan Assembly commenced on Monday with the state government tabling nine amended bills and 15 ordinances in a short time before the House was adjourned for Tuesday.
Tributes were paid to the departed leaders and victims of the Uttarakhand disaster and Bihar rail tragedy. Prior to that, the ministers concerned swiftly tabled the amended bills and ordinances. Eight of the nine amended bills were related to various universities.
Among those who presented the ordinances and bills was state revenue minister Hemaram Choudhary, who had to face the opposition’s attack. As Choudhary rose from his seat to table an ordinance, BJP’s chief whip Rajendra Rathore demanded a status-quo on his resignation.
Claiming that they had read in the newspapers that Choudhary had resigned over the controversy surrounding the shifting of oil refinery to Pachpadra from Leelala, Rathore and other senior BJP legislators demanded that the House be informed about what happened to the resignation. Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat said he was not aware of Choudhary’s resignation.
On July 24, Choudhary had sent his resignation to chief minister Ashok Gehlot in the wake of the controversy over shifting of the Barmer refinery site. Gehlot had later said the minister had reacted emotionally and his resignation would not be accepted. In few days’ time, the minister had withdrawn his resignation.
Before the session began, BJP and Congress legislative committees held meetings in the assembly premises. Making attendance compulsory for all legislators, the two parties discussed strategies to counter the other. The BJP legislative committee would hold a meeting every morning before the House begins. “The state government and chief minister are shying away from facing the questions in the assembly and hence, want the session to be as short as possible. However, we will ensure that the House lasts long enough for us to raise several issues, said Rathore.
The Congress legislative meet was addressed by Gehlot and parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal. Gehlot informed the legislators that they could meet him between 4 pm and 6 pm daily during the ongoing session for any pending work. The business advisory committee (BAC) also met after the House was adjourned. The session is expected to continue till August 30.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/9-amended-bills-15-ordinances-tabled-on-Day-1/articleshow/22084428.cms